After a fulfilling and enlightening day at WordCamp Miami, I can’t help but use one of my favorite expressions: The event lit a fire under my butt. For the generously cheap $30 attendance fee, I was able to accumulate a list full of things I can’t wait to tinker and play with. The brain cogs are turning with full speed and the inspiration is flowing rapidly through my veins.

Pete Bernardo kicked off the day with a fantastic presentation about WordPress plugins.  I, along with most of the audience, were “ooo-ing” and “ahhh-ing” over some of the plugin demos he performed on the spot for us.  I found this presentation to be absolutely perfect for someone like me who is fairly comfortable with installing WordPress for client sites, but often hit a wall when it came to enhancing them with advanced features like forms and higher levels of user controls.  Thank you, Pete. Thank you, thank you. *Updated* Check out Pete’s presentation from WordCamp below.

WordCamp Miami 2010 – WordPress Plugins for your Next Project from Pete Bernardo on Vimeo.

We all felt like insiders during the “What’s Coming in WordPress 3.0″ session with Jane Wells of Automattic.  A cool new default WordPress theme and “The Merge” between WordPress and WordPress MU are on the horizon. Aside from that, hearing from a super well-versed user experience expert who happened to be a female among a sea of male developers was a breath of fresh air in itself. It led to an awesome brainstorming session between a few of us chicks in the group. Lori Todd wrote a fantastic wrap-up of what we took from that session and our goals moving forward.

Willie Morris tweeted a thought that was also one of my biggest sentiments of the day: It felt like being in college again.  Big lecture halls. Lunch on the lawn with friends. Note-taking.  It was a throwback to my days at UF and I was overjoyed that they chose to host the event on a college campus. There is no better way to foster higher learning than to put your attendees directly into that environmental setting.  Excellent venue choice (even though I hate the Canes. Go Gators!).

Another stand-out presentation for me was Tammy Hart’s session on using WordPress with clients. Amen. I’ve been looking forward to a presentation like this for the longest time because of my experience level. I hate the frustration that I get when potential clients bring me WordPress requests but I am unable to meet their needs.  Tammy’s session made me feel okay about that and gave me some guidelines about where to go to find solutions.  Aside from the tips that she shared (and there were many) I was more inspired by the presence and expertise of yet another female who has been able to build a successful business around WordPress development and maintenance with clients. She is also completely self-taught. My hat is off to Tammy.

As Lori said in her post, I’m really pleased that the organizers of this event decided to plan it separately from BarCamp Miami this year.   I recall last year being torn between several WordCamp and BarCamp sessions and losing out by having to chose.  The separate camp remedied that and because it was tailored to three different levels of interest, there was something for everyone.

Bravo to David Bisset, John Carcutt and the rest of the WordCamp organizers. The motivation from the fire that is now lit under my bum to get up and do something was worth every penny. See you all at BarCamp tomorrow!

By now I’m sure that most people who read this post already know that I’ve started my new job as one of the Social Media Coordinators at AutoNation in Fort Lauderdale. The Miami Herald and I have amicably parted ways, and while there are quite a few things I miss about working in a newsroom, this change was welcomed with open arms.  So far I am nothing short of delighted and excited to be doing what had always excited me most about my job at the Herald in the first place — social media — which, ironically enough, is how I got this gig.

I’m finding out quickly that moving from a newsroom to a corporate marketing department means using social media in a completely different way.   The whole point of this social media thing is to (excuse the cliche use of a buzzword) “engage” and “participate” and join in discussions and be a part of our own online communities, that’s all well and good.  But when the overall objectives of the company go from reporting the news quickly and accurately to selling you an automobile, you can see how the strategies for engagement start to part ways.

We’ll be working on expanding social media programs into the regionalized dealerships, which are all branded independently, so that they may take their own reins and embrace their local online communities at the dealership level. It will be a challenge for the team (and what an awesome team I’m working with, by the way) but one that everyone at AutoNation is looking forward to put in motion.

It’s the start of a new adventure. I don’t like to think that I abandoned journalism. No sad violins please. After a year in the newsroom of a big metro daily it’s hard not to get a little bit addicted to that buzz. The buzz of high-paced energy and news bits flying around you every minute. There’s a natural high that comes with it, but there’s also a stress level that I will not miss.

As I go fourth and fill my head, laptop and iPhone with knowledge, notes and apps, I hope to also keep filling this blog with experiences and afterthoughts. Stay along for the ride, won’t you?

I want to point anyone who subscribes to this blog over to the live blog for today’s CrisisCamp Miami event. It’s awesome how many people have showed up here at The Miami Herald building to build technical relief projects to aid non-government organizations working in Haiti. You can follow the event, which is happening all over the world in different cities, by searching for hashtag #ccHaiti on Twitter or on our live blog on the Web site.

CrisisCamp Haiti Introduction, Miami from Lori Todd on Vimeo.

There is no doubt about the amount of good that has been done in the aftermath of Tuesday’s devastating earthquake in Haiti as a result of social media. Text campaigns to raise funds, alerting rescuers to buried survivors and allowing Haitians to search for missing loved ones only scratches the surface. The outpouring of support and eagerness to help is reminiscent of the weeks following the 9/11 attacks.

But this is bigger.

With a death toll that may soon hit the hundreds of thousands in a place that was already ravaged by poverty and violence to begin with, nobody knows yet how large the scale of this disaster will reach.

In light of these events it would seem obvious that this wouldn’t be an appropriate opportunity to try and bait a mass of new Twitter followers, but apparently that isn’t obvious to everyone. Take Cleveland Browns receiver Donte Stallworth for example:

Sorry Donte.  I don’t believe your intentions were bad. In fact, I’m a huge cheerleader for people who have been graced with high-paying careers who make a point to give to those in need in times of crisis.  I just want to give you some outside perspective here.

We all know NFL athletes make the big bucks. Big enough bucks to be able to negotiate a settlement out of court last year after accidentally killing a pedestrian in Miami Beach. You clearly don’t need Twitter followers to be able to write a check. I understand that this may have been an oversight in your efforts to raise funds, but the nature of this emergency makes your quest for followers seem petty. The doctors in Haiti who need the supplies to help the dying could care less about your follower count, but they could certainly use the monetary donations to buy what they need to save more lives. Why waste time tied up in Twitter?

Yes, use Twitter to ask your followers to donate if they can. Yes, use Twitter to organize relief efforts. But please, don’t play follower games during tragedies. Things like that need to be left out of the equation altogether.

How you can help

It’s December 6. You’re in a rut. You stuffed yourself with turkey two weeks ago and have been counting down the days all year until Christmas.  The spirit of the holidays is buzzing through the air, but you just can’t feel it in your bones. You’re feeling more like the Grinch than a jolly Christmas elf.  Time is running out.  Here are five simple sure-fire ways to get visions of sugarplums dancing in your head in no time.

1. Change your phone wallpaper.

You use your mobile phone all day, so a little holiday reminder every time you unlock it is like transmitting subliminal Christmas messages into your brain.  Use a festive photo or a wallpaper you find online. Better yet, why don’t you Christmasfy yourself and use that. Bonus points for changing your ringtone to “Deck the Halls” or “Jingle Bells.” Super extra bonus points for changing your ringtone to the lesser-known classics, “Mele Kalikimaka” or Love, Actually’s “Christmas is All Around.”

2.  Get a tree. Get a pine candle. Get some tree branches.

Generally speaking, you need *the* scent. Pine, cinnamon, gingerbread, mistletoe; It really doesn’t matter. If you’re being frugal (and who isn’t these days?), go down to the hardware store and pick up some of the scrap branches that tree-cutters leave on the floor and deck your halls with them. Grab some of the sawed-off stumps from the tree lot and throw them in a pot of simmering water on your stove. Glade has a relatively cheap holiday candle collection (forget the expensive Yankee variety) if the thought of bringing nature into your home freaks you out. Nothing says holiday spirit like aromas wafting through the air.

3.  Crank up the Christmas music. All the time.

For the next 19 days, I command you to put all other playlists aside and commit fully to non-stop holiday tunes.  It’s December, for goodness sake, and if you are reading this then you are already desperate.  You better watch out. You better not cry. You better tickle your ears with a little “Holly Jolly Christmas” because Santa Claus is coming to town, ya know. Slacker Radio has 11, yes 11, holiday stations of varying genres to choose from (Is there anything more awesome than a ‘Dysfunctional Holiday’ station? I think not). My tweeps helped compile this playlist of their favorite holiday tunes on Grooveshark which is definitely worth a listen. Or twelve. One for every day of Christmas.

4. Go to the mall.

The perfect solution for those who are too lazy to decorate their own place, a visit to the mall is an instant dose of cheer. Even if you have to fight a 60-year-old lady for a parking spot, navigate through stroller after stroller and argue with the teenage cashier at the Gap to get the extra 20% off from the coupon you found on the floor of the food court, it will be worth it. The mall is where all of the elements come together. Gifts, lights, sounds, smells, music and, of course, Santa Claus himself. You’re in the Big Man’s territory now. He’s got his eye on you.

Aventura Mall (photo courtesy of @Ines)

5. Get out the Christmas DVDs.

This should go without saying.  Instead of going out with friends to the bar in the cold and blowing cash you should be spending on gifts anyway, you need Holiday Movie Night. Every night. Everyone has their favorites.  Whether you prefer the classics like White Christmas or the raunchy contemporaries like Bad Santa, the spirit-enabling capabilities are strong with movies. Here is my list of the lists of the best Christmas movies. Time to load up your Netflix queue!

Chicago Tribune – Top 25 Christmas Movies

Rotten Tomatoes – Guide to the Best Christmas Movies

Moviefone – Best Holiday Movies

KCPNews – Movies to Get You in the Spirit

Huffington Post – Funniest Christmas movies of all time

Two of my personal favorites:

Love, Actually

Bad Santa (NSFW)

For our non-Christmas-celebrating-friends, I hope you can offer suggestions on surviving the Christmas season and getting into the spirit of your own holidays!